Southside (Virginia) facts for kids

This page is about the region of the state of Virginia. For the portion of metropolitan Richmond, Virginia known as "Southside", see Southside (Richmond, Virginia). For the portion of the Hampton Roads area commonly called the "Southside", see South Hampton Roads.

Southside, or Southside Virginia has traditionally referred to the portion of the state south of the James River, the geographic feature from which the term derives its name. This was the first area to be developed in the colonial period.

Southside of Virginia

During the colonial era, Southside was considered the area where entrepreneurs settled, as opposed to some of the more established and wealthier families in the Tidewater counties. Many early Southside settlers were younger sons of established Tidewater families. A major portion of the territory was formed in 1703, when Prince George County, Virginia was organized from Charles City County. Four other counties and three independent cities were formed from this territory, the counties in the 18th century and some of the independent cities in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In the 21st century, however, some people use a more limited definition of the region that is confined to the Piedmont area: those counties lying south of the James River, west of the fall line, and east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the southern portion of Virginia's Piedmont region. This definition describes an area often considered to be the heart of Southside. It also accounts for social and economic changes as the eastern counties developed dense populations, and the Richmond suburbs expanded to occupy large portions of Chesterfield and Powhatan counties.

Climate

Southside Piedmont region has a climate different from the coastal areas of Virginia. Summers are typically hot, with highs generally in the upper 80s to low 90s; quite often 5-7 degrees hotter than in Richmond. Winters are generally mild, and nighttime lows often drop below freezing; frequently 5-7 degrees cooler than Richmond or Norfolk. Much of this has to do with the distance of the region from the temperature-moderating effect of the Atlantic Ocean.

Snow and frozen precipitation usually falls every year in Southside (usually less than a foot), with the western and northern fringes of the area getting several inches more snow than the rest.

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